Healthy Body, Healthy Life

I am still symptom free everyone!!!!! HOORAY! Some days I think about how amazing it is that I am actually still symptom free. Living with Crohns, you can't help but have anxiety that something you eat may cause your body to get sick again. You always consider it a possibility. I am almost to that point where I feel like I will never have to worry about being sick again. I say almost because I can't seem to get rid of that possibility that I may have to deal with another flare up one day. I just need to bury that fear. I will get there. But I just feel so much joy now where I feel like I am in control of my body. It is such an amazing feeling.

I am also continuing to learn ways to take care of myself. I just recently read a book called Beautiful Babies. WOW, it is absolutely wonderful. It helped extend my knowledge on the things that I had common knowledge about. It basically connected the dots for me and answered a lot of my why? questions about diet. It is directed towards women and pregnancy which is why I wanted to read it. I am trying to prepare my body to have a healthy pregnancy in the future. But after reading it, I found that this book is beneficial for everyone and anyone.

So there are some wonderful things I have started to include in my diet now that I had never considered or thought of before. Recently I had blood work done and found that my levels of B12 were very low along with my Vitamin D and even though all my other numbers were normal, I still felt like they could improve. Even though I eat such a healthy diet, I exercise at least 4-5 days a week, and I get sufficient amount of sleep, I was ALWAYS drowsy. I just didn't get it. Why was I so sluggish? It made sense that being low in B12, and other nutrients, that my body was struggling to keep going. SO, back to my point haha after reading that book, Beautiful Babies, it introduced me to some ways of getting the nutrients I need; the healthy way and the easy way.

First off, it is so important for us to eat balanced meals with the protein and the veggies or fruit together in one sitting. Different foods compliments each other and work together to help the body digest and absorb the nutrients it needs. SO, yes I eat healthy, but am I actually including enough variety of vegetables and fruit in my diet and at every meal? Not even close. No wonder my body has such a hard time absorbing what it needs. I am in control and need to do a better job.

Another thing I learned about is the benefit of consuming cod liver oil and beef liver. Sounds gross but the benefits are endless. Cod liver oil actually isn't too bad tasting, have yet to try the fermented kind. Fermented cod liver oil is supposed to be even more of a powerhouse of nutrients that can benefit your body, I just cant afford it right now. The regular cod liver oil is obviously a little fishy tasting, but I don't mind it. The grass-fed beef liver I started to consume is in pill form. Literally raw liver cut into pill size and I swallow them hole. Click here to learn more about the benefits and how to prepare the pills for yourself. Lets just say I have only added the beef liver in my diet for a week and have already felt a huge improvement in my energy levels and in my attitude. I feel so much happier and positive.

Another thing that I have added more of in my diet is sauerkraut. Fermented vegetables are so great for our bodies. Its a natural probiotic. I have found that sauerkraut is the best type of fermented food for me but there are other things out there if you want to do some research to find what you want to try.

My daily routine in the morning now includes taking:
1. 2 scoops of my prebiotic: Healthy Trac    This has been my lifesaver and has caused me to be completely symptom free. This is a "natural fermentable prebiotic fiber which acts as a food source for the growth of beneficial bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract."

2. 2 Capsules of my probiotic: VSL #3  I buy this over the counter at the Costco Pharmacy. This is a "probiotic medical food that delivers the highest available concentration of beneficial live bacteria of any probiotic in the world."

3. A spoonful of Cod Liver Oil  I bought mine from Whole Foods. I grabbed the one with the most natural ingredients, unflavored. Luckily it was on sale the day I bought it.

4. 3-4 'pills' of raw grass-fed beef liver. I swallow them whole with juice. I don't suggest you smelling them haha I made that mistake. Just toss them in your mouth and swallow with drink of choice. Easy and done.

5. And since my levels were so low, I began supplementing with B-Complex and B12 pills. I found some that were clean ingredients. I don't plan to have to take them for much longer. I take one B-complex pill and take one B12 pill twice a day.

6. Magnesium Oil. I bought magnesium oil when I learned that the easiest way to absorb magnesium is through the skin. Many issues that our bodies have are caused by magnesium deficiency. I have been trying to spray my body with the magnesium oil every time I get out of the shower.

And there you have it. I am adding a lot more vegetables to my meals and trying to drink even more water than before. We are in control of our bodies. Lets not allow our bodies to control us.

If you read this post and have some other great ideas or insights you want to share about keeping our bodies healthy and our diets nutrient dense, let me know :) Thanks for reading!